Gas pumps and odd buildings

 

A Sepia Saturday choice for this week. Consider looking at some other blogs there, or joining with your own photos of yesteryear...on topic or not.

I've certainly never seen an umbrella repair man before, so don't have a photo of a similar activity. 

Fancy a bit of tea?  This gas station probably could fill up a car's tank back in the day...and I'm sorry I didn't get the photographer's name when I saved the photo!

The Donut Hole looks like a restaurant, or perhaps a diner. 

This tea pot, or perhaps coffee pot, doesn't say exactly what it was. But with a door and windows, someone might be able to live in it.

Finally, I found a gas pump in a sepia photograph...though everyone has wet feet. But apparently the riders think they can get to higher ground if they just had some "petrol."

Today's quote:

Reasoning with a conspiracy theorist

"We can perhaps best approach those who embrace harmful conspiracy theories by not immediately telling them that we know more than they do. It’s a conversation that requires some intellectual humility and acknowledgement that change is hard and it feels really scary not to know what’s going on. Below, see an abridged version of MIT Technology Review’s ten tips for reasoning with a conspiracy theorist, and read Basu’s full article here.

1. Always, always speak respectfully: “Without respect, compassion, and empathy, no one will open their mind or heart to you. No one will listen.”
2. Go private: Using direct messages when online “prevents discussion from getting embarrassing for the poster, and it implies a genuine compassion and interest in conversation rather than a desire for public shaming.”
3. Test the waters first: “You can ask what it would take to change their mind, and if they say they will never change their mind, then you should take them at their word and not bother engaging.”
4. Agree: “Conspiracy theories often feature elements that everyone can agree on.”
5. Try the “truth sandwich”: “Use the fact-fallacy-fact approach, a method first proposed by linguist George Lakoff.”
6. Or use the Socratic method: This “challenges people to come up with sources and defend their position themselves.”
7. Be very careful with loved ones: “Biting your tongue and picking your battles can help your mental health.”
8. Realize that some people don’t want to change, no matter the facts.
9. If it gets bad, stop: “One r/ChangeMyView moderator suggested ‘IRL calming down’: shutting off your phone or computer and going for a walk.”
10. Every little bit helps. “One conversation will probably not change a person’s mind, and that’s okay.”

Tanya Basu in MIT Technology Review